Situated on the outskirts of Nairobi, this boutique specialises in wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and morning suits for men and boys. The wide range of styles available means that there is something for everyone. There is also an impressive eveningwear collection. Staff are helpful and aim to please. Hire service available (please ask staff for further details).
Located on the outskirts of the city, this shop has a marvellous selection of toys for children of all ages. There is a particularly impressive range of electronic games and accessories. Traditional toys - such as dolls, model kits and puzzles - are also available. Prices are very reasonable considering the quality that is on offer.
Established over ten years ago, this large shop offers exclusive textiles, crafts, glassware, furniture and jewellery. All of the goods are locally produced by some of Kenya's finest workshops and self-help groups. The colourful, woven rugs featuring Kenyan wildlife are especially beautiful. An excellent place to shop for high quality, original Kenyan arts and crafts. Customer ordering service available.
One of the largest curio shops in Kenya, African Heritage offers a wide range of arts and crafts from all over the continent. Of particular note are the beautifully-made animal carvings. There is an equally fine collection of beadwork. One of the best features of this shop is that it is a hassle-free environment where you can browse at your leisure. Be warned: these lovely items do not come cheap!
Hand-made jewellery and beads are amongst the items made at this centre. It is well worth a visit just to see the care that is taken to make these lovely and intricate items. The crafts are made by a team of over 100 women, all of whom used to be desitute. Unfortunately, the goods are rather expensive but not unreasonable considering the fine quality. Look out too for the pottery showroom.
Church-based, Maridadi was created in 1966 as an income-generating community project for women in one of Nairobi's oldest slum areas - Pumwani and Shauri Moyo. The main workshop is a delight if you're into making your own clothes. A large screen-printing workshop (on view from the visitors' gallery) produces the wide range of prints for sale in the shop; the bark cloth prints are especially appealing. Bark cloth, a natural weave obtained from beneath the outer bark of certain trees, is soaked, stretched, hammered before use, and was used for clothing by many East African peoples until the end of the last century. In the district around the Maridadi workshop, there's a huge diversity of enterprises, with two distinctive market areas - Gikomba and Landhies Mawe - both worth a visit.